Early this morning guns were heard a short distance away in my neighborhood. Quite surprised and worried of course. Perhaps no one prepared for a move in the neighborhood, as I understand that our military and police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. However, I am still wondering on a vast continent of more than 700 million people, where warfare still rages unchecked, and far too little is being done about it. - Civil wars in South Sudan, Central African Republic, Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria and around the Lack Chad region, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are the recent examples of deadly conflicts that have killed and displaced millions of African men, women and children.
Realistically speaking, I am also still wondering why every effort to reduce societal stress and create peace in Africa has failed until now; diplomacy, international organizations like the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union—everything has failed. The long histories of war in the continent that continues unabated to the present, political will and institutions to intervene in such traditional conflicts and complicated –to-solve wars remain fragile and inadequate. It’s too silly and too much to wait for Paris, Washington and their allies to be involved in solving Africa’s problems all the time, because preventing domestic conflicts in Africa is primary an African task. There should be alternatives ways preventing wars, rather than fighting them, as long as diplomatic efforts seem equally powerless in a continent divided by religious, political and ethnic tensions that fuel violence and conflict - as most of these conflicts are fought within African states, not between.
Obviously, a fundamentally new approach is needed for Africa. As long as traditional approaches to conflict resolution and conflict prevention fail, in large measure, perhaps, because they do not address the underlying cause of violence and social conflict within the continent, they do not relieve the acute religious, political and ethnic tensions that fuel tribal conflict and terrorism. For diplomacy and other conventional approaches to succeed, we first need an effective means to defuse these deep-seated tensions—an approach that can prevent these societal tensions from reaching the boiling point. Perhaps Invincible Defense Technology {IDT} is the best scientifically studied solution that Africa needs at the moment in order to reduce its societal stress, and help diplomatic solutions succeed.
What is Invincible Defense Technology?
In an interview with Dr. David R. Leffler, Invincible Defense Technology expert and Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Military Science, argued that Invincible Defense Technology is a non-lethal, preemptive national defense strategy. It is better than other solution for a strong military because it prevents enemies from arising, and neutralizes existing enemies. The ultimate goal of IDT is to prevent enemies from arising by reducing the collective societal stress that culminates in crime, war and terrorism. IDT involves use of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique and its advanced practices, ideally by African militaries, to reduce this collective societal stress. Numerous extensive peer-reviewed studies have documented the efficacy of this approach. Military and police worldwide have successfully field-tested and are now using this approach.
Furthermore, many IDT experts agree that IDT is a scientific solution for a strong military that is a non-lethal approach to achieve peace and stability. It is the best solution for a strong military due to following reasons:
- Quietly demonstrated in conflict-prone regions
- Scientifically studied
- Non-religious, non-partisan
- Easy to implement
Dr. Leffler who advocates the creation of special Prevention Wings of the Military, argued that Africans need to understand that their domestic security is threatened whenever collective social stress builds up in society. If the national collective mood is one of contentment, then crime and violence are low, accidents and hospital admissions are fewer, employment and abundance rise for all individuals, and families are stable and supportive of the growth, education and progress of their children. The next generation then grows in a harmonious atmosphere, and all future generations likewise benefit. Conversely, if there is a buildup of tension and stress in the national mood, the result is disharmony, and disharmony is expressed in disorderly social behavior. Crime, violence, rioting, mobs, gangs, looting, and even accidents, hospital admissions, unemployment, poverty, hunger and famine are much more likely and more evident when the national mood is tense.
“Africa needs the IDT right now”
African governments could benefit from the example of nations in Latin America that have implemented IDT in their militaries. These governments have found that by reducing collective stress with IDT it is no longer necessary to dedicate a large portion of their GNP to domestic security. This is because the cost to implement IDT is minimal - less than the cost of one modern fighter jet. IDT provides the added advantage of requiring minimal time and training for deployment, and for this reason, is much more cost-effective than traditional defense. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevent military catastrophe with IDT, and the economy, the social life of the people, and the happiness of the entire African continent will naturally improve as well.
“Unfavorable economic conditions and social injustice thrive in and further contribute to deteriorating, chaotic environments. Unrest may then flame up over unresolved territorial, political, religious, and cultural differences. Thus, dissatisfied and frustrated people contribute to national instability. When national tension builds up, it weakens the sovereignty of a nation. There is no domestic security with such an unstable government whose population is now more prone to war and internal conflict.” Dr. Leffler added.
On the other hand, and in an exclusive interview with Colonel (Ret.) Brian M. Rees, M.D. former U.S Battalion Surgeon for the 310th Military Police Battalion at Camp Bucca, Iraq; argued that IDT or Brain Based Belligerency Reduction (B3R) in the form of groups of persons practicing a meditative technique called the TM-Sidhi Program can be applied to reduce hostilities and support civil society in targeted African populations.
Over fifty studies have documented reductions in combat deaths, crime, and terrorist acts, and increased support of government, related to the size of the groups practicing the intervention. Yet, as Dr. Leffler notes, conflicts in African nations often spill unrest into bordering nations, with negative consequences.
Many defense experts predict that the nature of future warfare and terrorism in Africa will change due to the easy availability of weapons of mass destruction. Defending against these weapons is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Thus, war and terrorism must be addressed at their root cause: collective social stress - by reducing social stress through the TM program, many other African militaries could prevent war and end conflict.
“Africa needs to use the IDT right now, because as you can see from the wide range of effects of IDT/B3R, multiple areas in Africa would benefit, not only in the reduction of hostilities, but in the improvement of economic indices and governance.” Said Colonel Rees
Colonel Rees might absolutely be right, because we have seen after Mozambique’s civil war; the economy boomed, and the crime rate decreased. President Alberto Joachim Chissano attributed the war’s demise and these other positive trends largely to new human resource technology he called a "new secret weapon." He and many other military leaders are convinced that these changes occurred from the implementation of this new technology called Vedic defense technology.
Conflict Fuels More Conflict
For his part, Dr. Leffler believes that without enemies, everyone wins. Hence, this is why the technology is invincible. Terrorism cannot be eliminated by destroying the terrorists. Any step in the direction of destruction only helps to create more terrorists and more wars. More terrorists only results in more waves of destruction. There is no wisdom in initiating a continuous theme of destruction in the name of protection. Prudence dictates eliminating the underlying cause of terrorism, war and all types of violence—collective social stress.
Studies show that there are other important IDT and individual benefits to be gained for warriors who regularly practice TM. They have shown that the TM technique improves wellness, promotes development, resilience and dramatically reduces burnout and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
Dr. David W. Orme-Johnson, a former professor of psychology at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, found that group practice of Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi programs had profound effects on improving the quality of life in Israel and Lebanon, including reducing armed conflicts, which could not be explained by military, political, and cultural events at the time.
Other IDT experts argue that Maharishi's theory of invincible defense is related to this. Once a "prevention wing" of yogic flyers is formed within an army, Maharishi says, "Military power is brought in alliance with the invincible power of natural law, which spontaneously provides safety and security to the government of the universe and eternally defends the sovereign domain of every galaxy and solar system".
“There's no solution to terrorism and tribal conflict except creating coherence in world consciousness and using the IDT, and probably. The evolution of consciousness and the progression of humanity toward peace and tolerance, and away from violence, terrorism, exploitation and discrimination, is natural and ultimately is the only way forward; but faster is better, and IDT/B3R generates prompt results.” Colonel Rees stressed
Yet, Dr. Orme-Johnson points out that forceful response to conflict increases the problem in Africa. "Fear in the world spurs arms buildup and the development of arms technology, which only causes more fear," he says. "Disarmament is not realistic because no one can rationally disarm when facing an armed aggressor."
Prevention Wings of the African Militaries
To counteract this fear and promote peace, Dr. Leffler and other scientists at ISTPP are encouraging every country to spend about one percent of the military budget to implement an IDT program that they are calling Prevention Wings of the Military. Soldiers would be given one additional duty: to practice the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program daily in large groups. The theory is that this would result in more peaceful world.
Qualities of Invincible Defense Technology:
- Sea-based and/or land-based
- Non-lethal
- Non destructive
- Non partisan
- Non religious
- Victory before War
For his part, Dr. Leffler argued that the ultimate and best step to ensure Africa’s stability would be for the military of each African country to fund, staff and maintain their own Prevention Wing of the Military. Such elite, highly trained units would meditate together using IDT twice daily, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In this manner, their nations would always be fully and safely protected. If this plan could be implemented, Africa would be self-sufficient for both international and domestic security. It would not be necessary for the US or any other outside country to take responsibility for Africa’s stability.
The Transcendental Meditation Program
Vedic scholar and physicist Maharishi Mahesh Yogi revived the TM program from the ancient tradition of India. Bob Rabinoff, who has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Arizona, describes TM as "a simple, easily learned, non-religious meditation practice." Rabinoff is an independent computer consultant in the Midwest and a teacher of the TM technique. He says that over five million people have learned TM worldwide.
"Everyone who learns TM is taught the same way throughout the world," says Rabinoff. Because of this standardization; he believes that, it is possible to study the TM program scientifically. Indeed, the benefits of practicing TM have been well documented. "Over six hundred scientific studies show that the TM technique can measurably reduce stress and increase coherence in the individual," Rabinoff said
According to Dr. Leffler, if African militaries deploy Invincible Defense Technology widely, then no country on earth will pose a threat to Africa. On the contrary, economic and social ties with all countries will improve, and Africa will prosper both materially and socially. Likewise, if the US military creates large Prevention Wings at its military bases around the globe, the resulting reductions of crime, terrorism, and war will enable all governments, including those in Africa, to be more successful and harmonious. Every government has a head of state who is only an innocent mirror of the collective consciousness of the society that he or she represents. Prevention Wings will reduce both national and global collective stress, and consequently, leaders of governments will not be stressed and will make more intelligent decisions. America’s domestic security will naturally also benefit, because the tensions currently dividing the American people will melt away when IDT is deployed. Ideally, if Prevention Wings of the Military were established worldwide, lasting peace would be achieved by preventing the rise of enemies: victory before war.
“If Africa wants to create internal harmony among its people and to prevent negative foreign influences, and help people in poverty and need on every level of society. TM increases the creativity and health in individuals and society to help them find solutions.” Dr. Orme-Johnson stressed.
Many IDT experts think that we always need to establish permanent large coherence creating groups of TM and TM-Sidhi experts of the square root of 1% of the population in every African city and country. They believe that his is best achieved through establishing this program in education. Coherence in collective consciousness will help all other approaches to peace be successful. What we all need is a ground on coherence to work on. TM provides that while other programs may do the work. However, TM is the best friend to all other genuine positive programs in society. It is complementary.
It seems to be obvious that following the successes of Mozambique's "Prevention Wing of the Military," more African countries may or should soon apply this amazing strategy to create the highest ideal of military service. - Invincibility without harm for African military personnel or the Africa nations; and lasting peace for the continent-indeed; victory before war.
About the Author
Idriss Zackaria is an international reporter, editor, and specialist in international media and strategic communications, with an emphasis on support for independent journalism in emerging democracies and communications campaigns for international development. His previous role has been the coordination of all aspects of local and international media based in Istanbul and Cairo.
His time in Africa and the Middle East has seen him plan, implement, evaluate and report on programs that provide both journalistic, media marketing and acquisitions for sustainable local development.
He is currently based in Chad writes mainly for international media on Middle Eastern and African politics, human rights, political risk, security risk management, African economies and media ethics.
Zackaria has completed a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication, and holds a master’s degree in political sciences and public administration.